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Mixed Vegetable Kurma – A mild vegetable curry with coconut milk

PublishedApril 17, 2012

Vegetable kurma is one of our most favorite curries with puri/roti. We used to ecstatic when amma (mom) made this!! This is her recipe and I absolutely cherish it Most of you may not have tasted this particular curry because this is not very popular at the restaurants in the US. This curry is from the southern part of India. That is where I hail from and this region has one of the healthiest vegetarian cuisines in the whole world.

We do use a lot of coconut because it is abundantly available in this area (don’t get me started on how much I miss fresh coconuts here!!). Every house, every backyard has at least a couple of trees and if not, they are very very inexpensive and form an integral part of this cuisine. It is (or rather used to be) a part of every meal. But because of the recent concerns about the cholesterol level in coconuts, people have started restricting it in their diet. But like everything, coconuts eaten in moderation are very good for you. Some common uses of the coconut are: freshly coconut flesh, coconut water, tender coconut, coconut milk and coconut oil. My grandpa’s place in Pondicherry has at least 10 trees in the backyard. I love coconut water and when we were visiting them during the summer vacations, my grandpa would call in a guy and he would pluck a huge (really huge!!) batch of tender coconuts for us. And once he was done plucking, he would shave off the top. So whenever we wanted to drink the coconut water, we just had to poke the top with a knife and enjoy!! And the best part is eating the tender coconut after you finish drinking the water. Yum!! I absolutely love it and can never get enough!! As soon as I finished drinking the water I would run to my grandpa, grandma or aunt and they would split the coconut for me and I absolutely relish it! And my grandma makes (she still does!!) coconut oil with the surplus coconuts every year. Its a long process, but its totally worth it! My mom gets her annual supply when we go to visit them during the summer vacations and use it all year long!

Okay, that was enough nostalgia for today :)!! Now all that came about because we use coconut milk in today’s recipe. It has a creamy, slightly sweet taste that makes this kurma so unique and delicious! My mom makes this with freshly grated coconuts, but I modified it because fresh coconut is not readily available to everyone. But coconut milk is!! These days all major supermarkets carry coconut milk in the ethnic aisles or you can find it in any Asian grocery store.

This is a very, very healthy curry, full of vegetables, has amazing flavors and a creamy gravy thanks to the coconut milk and cashew-almond paste, so that makes it vegan. It can be paired with Indian breads like roti, puri or naan and is equally good served with rice. You may use any vegetables you like but these are the vegetables that are most suited and are easily available everywhere. If you plan to use other vegetables, keep the cooking times in mind and add them to the curry accordingly. The flavors are simple but complex. I use whole spices, but if you don’t have these spices, go ahead and use some garam masala. Cooking is not an exact science, you have to just use your instincts and do what your nose and tongue tell you

Please don’t panic at the long ingredient list, these are very easily available and may already be in your pantry. And never give up because you don’t have one single ingredient, the taste may differ but it won’t be bad, I promise But let me point out one thing here, Fennel imparts a very distinct and significant flavor to this curry, so try to use it if you can. You can substitute all other spices with garam masala.

To be ground into a paste:

Note: If you are not using coconut milk, add 1/2 cup of freshly grated/thawed frozen coconut to the ingredients mentioned for grinding and omit the coconut milk. This is how my mom makes this curry. I have substituted this with coconut milk. My mom also makes this curry with only beetroots, all the other masalas remain same. Use only beetroots and onions and make this curry. Trust me, you will start loving beetroots if you already don’t!!

Method:

Prepare all the vegetables, peel, chop and dice everything. Boil the potatoes and the peas with a pinch of salt on the side. I like to do this in the microwave, makes life a lot easier!

Soak the cashews and almonds in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Peel the soaked almonds. Grind the almonds and cashews into a smooth paste using some water, in a blender.

Heat oil in a large, non stick pan or a heavy bottom pan on medium high heat. One the oil is slightly hot, add in the ingredients mentioned for tempering. Saute for 1 minute to 90 seconds, until the mustard seeds start to splutter and the spices become aromatic.

Note: If you are using garam masala instead of the whole spices, do not add it now. You should add it at the end along with the coconut milk. Also, at this point I like to fish out the large spices (cinnamon, cloves, star anise and cardamom) because they are not pleasant to bite. But you may leave them in the curry and remove them when you are eating. This is just a personal preference. There will be no problem with the flavors because the oil has already been perfumed by the spices.

Grind the ingredients mentioned under “to be ground into a paste” into a smooth paste, adding water as required. Food processor may not be apt here, use a blender.

Now add in the onions and a pinch of salt and saute until they are translucent. Then add in the tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder (if using), coriander powder and the ground paste and saute for 7-8 minutes, until you see the oil separating from the gravy. Stir from time to time or the mixture may stick to the bottom of the pan.

Then add in the carrots and french beans, some salt and about 1/2 cup of water and cover the pan and cook for 6-7 minutes. Then add in the cauliflower florets and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender, you may add in some water as required but don’t add too much. This curry is not really about the gravy, the vegetables are the star here. Season with salt to taste at every step or the vegetables will taste bland.

Once the vegetables are tender add in the boiled potatoes, peas, cashew-almond paste and coconut milk. Stir gently, check salt and add more if required. Reduce the heat to low (sim) and cook uncovered for 10-12 minutes. Add water to adjust the consistency as required. Check to see if the raw taste of cashew-almond paste has disappeared. Turn off the heat and finish with chopped cilantro leaves.

Note: This gravy tends to become thick as it sits because of the cashew-almond paste. So f you do not plan on serving immediately, add some water to the curry and heat it on stove top. Be sure to bring to a boil so the water is incorporated into the gravy.

Curries like this are my comfort food! Absolutely love it! I’m a huge coconut fan and anything which has coconut in it will get a thumbs up from me. Down south they are relatively inexpensive, but here in Mumbai, they are doubly priced. Although, it doesnt deter me from using 2 to 3 coconuts in a week or sometimes even more. And you know what? I don’t believe in this whole cholestrol-coconut thing…it is a propaganda which has its deep roots in the American 1960s when corn growers launched a tirade against it. It has such wonderful health giving properties and it is our age old food after all, consumed by generations. I wish we could cling to our traditional food habits the way Italians and to a certain extent the French do, ofcourse while savouring the many treats that the world table today has to offer.

I totally agree with you Anu, nothing can stop me from using coconuts in my diet. And yes, we Indians do need to stand up for our traditional food like the others. I guess that doesn’t happen because Indian food is popular but only because of the Indian restaurants and their greasy, cream laden curries. People never get a chance to see the actual Indian home cooking, especially the south Indian cuisine which is so balanced and healthy.

I do enjoy reading about the ingredients and cooking methods in Indian food. I love coconut but have only bought and cooked with a REAL coconut once. It would be fun to see coconut trees in people’s back yards!

Vegetable Kurma is my all time favorite one and I will never get bored to this !!! Even though there are so many fancy side dishes , I still love the old way of making kurma with the coconut or coconut milk ….Such a comforting one with all vegetables…Yumm yumm:)

Hi, thanks for visiting my blog I found yours just a few days ago and I think it is magic! I love Indian food and cook curries often. Especially vegetarian although I cook meat curries as well. This korma I cooked using different veggies than you but it came out great! Will try some more of your recipes!
Thanks!
Ania

I loved your childhood story about coconuts. My childhood home in Mississippi was in the middle of a peach orchard! Now everyone is backtracking about coconuts and saying they are really pretty healthy – kinda like what happened with olive oil.
The Kurma looks delish, I may have to cheat and make it with some spice packets from my local Indian grocery!

Hey thanks for the recipe. I’ll be using it as a model for my first curry.
I have this can of coconut milk I haven’t used in almost 2 years at the back of my cupboard. Can’t wait to take in the flavor.

As coconut milk is very high in calories and in cholesterol, I replace it with plain almond milk, a pinch of sugar and a spoonfull of coconut milk powder and prepare the dish in coconut oil. It cuts down the calories by 40% without sacrificing the falvor.

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